Boll-weevil exterminator.



No. 833,138. PATENTED OCT. 9, 1906. W. MEEKS & D. BROWN.

BOLL WEEVIL EXTERMINATOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.26, 1905.

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' PATENTED OCT. 9; 1906. w. MEEKS & D.'BROWN.

BOLL WEBVIL EXTBRMINATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 26, 19Q5.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

WILLIAM MEEKS AND DANIEL BROWN, OF SEADRIFT, TEXAS; SAID BROWN ASSIGNOR TO SAID MEEKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 1906.

Application filed August 26, 1905. Serial No. 275,955.

between two rollers, thereby crushing the same and destroying the weevils.

The invention consists of a frame adapted.

to straddle the plants and provided with endless belts arranged u on opposite sides of the frame, a crushing-r0 ler arranged at one end of the frame, and means for creatin an air blast immediately above the be ts and plants.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a rear end view. Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken through one of the fan-casings and longitudinally through one of the belts.

In the drawings, 1 represents a suitable rectangular frame which is supported by a cranked axle 2, the central portion of the axle being in a plane above its ends, and suitable wheels 3 being mounted loosely upon the end portions of the axle. To each side member of the frame is adjustably connected standards 4, which have their upper end portions perforated, as shown at 5, and these standards are secured to the outer faces of the side members of the frame 1, which faces are recessed to receive the standards: by means of suitable bolts and nuts, the bolts passing through the perforations 5. By means of this the standards can be adjusted vertically with respect to the frame 1. The standards depend a considerable distance below the frame, and each pair of standards supports a side piece 6 and a tray 7, the trays being arranged upon the inner faces of the side pieces and being provided with a horizontal opening 8 at the rear end and also having an opening 9 in the bottom of each tray adjacent their forward ends.

The frame 1 is provided with suitable longitudinal cross-pieces 10, upon which are mounted curved spring-plates 1 1, which sup port the seat 12. Fan-casings 13 are also carried by the frame 1, one of said casings being arranged beneath the seat and the other two being placed upon the opposite sides of the seat and parallel to the one beneath the seat. Each of these casings 13 opens downwardly and is provided with an adjustable sleeve 14, which serves as an outlet for the air. A common shaft 15 passes through the casings 13, and within each casing a fan 16 is secured upon said shaft.

The standards 4 have their lower ends bent under the tray 7 and upwardly upon the inner sides of the said trays, as shown at 17 and short shafts 18 extend transversely through each of the trays, said shafts being carried by the lower portion of the standards 4, and suitable rollers 19 are mounted upon the shafts 18. This provides a roller adjacent each end of each of the trays, and from the two rollers in each tray passes a belt 20. The front standards 4 are widened at their lower ends to provide bearing-space for a shaft 21, in addition to the shaft 18, and upon this shaft is mounted covered rollers 22, which bear against the belts 20 as they pass over the forward rollers 19. The inner sides of the tray 7 are inclined upwardly and toward the longitudinal center of the frame 1 and are spaced apart and along their upper edge carry flexible extensions 23, also spaced slightly apart to allow the stalk of the cotton to pass between the said extensions or strips.

To drive the fans and belts, we secure upon one of the wheels 3 a sprocket-wheel 25, and upon a shaft 26, carried transversely by the frame 1, are placed sprocket-wheels 27, 28, and 29, and a pulley 30. A sprocket-chain 31 runs over the s rocket-wheel 25 and over the sprocket-whee 27. A sprocket-chain 32 runs over the sprocket-Wheel 28 and over a sprocket-wheel 33, mounted upon the outer end of the forward shaft 18 upon the side of the frame upon which the sprocket-wheel 28 is placed. A sprocket-chain 34 runs over the sprocket-wheel 29 and over a sprocketwheel 35, carried by the outer end of the other forward shaft 18. A suitable belt 36 runs over the pulley 30 and over a pulley 37, mounted upon an outer end and drives the fans.

A suitable tongue 38 is carried by the front end member of the frame 1. Curved shields of the shaft 15,

39 are-carried by the forward end of the device and partially encircle the rollers 22.

As the sides 6 and the tray 7 ,.with the endless belts therein, are supported by the standards 4 and said standards are vertically adj ustable, it will be obvious that the trays and rollers can be raised or lowered with respect to the ground and the frame 1, and the sleeve 14 can also be adjusted upon the fan-casing 13, so thatthe distance of the air-outlet above the belts 20 and strips 23 can be regulated.

In operation the device is mainly designed to be used in connection with cottonplants of about eight inches in height, and

the Wheels 3 travel upon opposite sides of a boll, the stalks of the plant passingbetween the strips 23, thus throwing a tray 7, with its moving belt 20 and coacting roller 22, upon each side of a plant and the three fans above the plants. The air blast caused by the rapid revolution of the fans will not only remove the boll-weevils from the plants, but will also remove any bolls that the weevils may have out into, and by the removal of these bolls the hatching-out of a later crop of weevils is avoided. The damaged bolls and the weevils falling upon the endless belts 20 will be carried to the forward end of the device and will be crushed between the forward rollers 19 and the rollers 22 and the weevils killed, and after passing between these rollers they are discharged through the outlet 9 or through the end outlet 8,

Having thus fully described our invention,

what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A device of the kind described comprising a frame adapted to straddle a row of plants, vertically-adjustable endless belts supported below the said frame, and spaced. apart, fan-casings carried by the frame and opening downwardly above the belts, means for driving the belts, and means for creating a downward air-blast from the fan-casing.

2. A device of the kind described comprising a frame, vertically-adjustable standards carried by the side members of the frame, horizontal rollers carried by the standards below the frame, endless belts being spaced apart and parallel to each other, rollers carried by the standards at one end of the frame and adapted to bear upon the belts, fan-casings carried by the frame-fans therein, means for driving the belts, and means for driving the fans.

3. A device of the kind described comprising a frame mounted upon wheels and adapted to straddle a row'of plants, vertically-adjustable standards carried by the side members of the frame, each of said standards depending below the frame and bent inwardly andupwardly adjacent its lower end, trays carried by the standards, said trays being parallel to each other and adapted to travel upon opposite side of the plants, an endless belt traveling in each of said trays, flexible strips carried by the inner edge of each tray, the said strips converging together, means for creating a current of air abpve the belts, and means for driving the be ts.

4. A device of the kind described comprising a frame, vertically-adjustable standards connected to the frame, side walls-carried by the standards, trays arranged upon the inner faces of the side walls, and spaced apart, rollers mounted in each. tray, and adjacent the ends thereof, endless beltsadapted to travel over said rollers, rollers journaled adjacent a portion of the rollers first mentioned, the belts travling between the adjacent rollers, fan-casings arranged above the belts,.fans therein, and means for driving the fans.

WILLIAM MEEKS; DANIEL BROWN. Witnesses:

AnoLPH ROEMER, W. O. BEsr. 

